Israeli officials have pushed back against comments made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a speech on Wednesday, in which he called the Gaza-based Resistance “a liberation group.”
A spokesman for the Israel army, Daniel Hagari, told journalists that the Israeli military will seek to prove that Erdogan’s claim is false.
“I heard what Erdogan said…Hamas is worse than a terrorist organization,” Hagari replied when asked about the Turkish leader’s comments. “The people responsible for the massacre wanted death and horror, and it is our duty to show that to the world.”
Separately, Israeli Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Lior Haiat blasted Erdogan in a statement published on X on Wednesday.
“Israel wholeheartedly rejects the Turkish president’s harsh words about the terrorist organization Hamas,” he said, adding that the “despicable” group is worse than the terrorist group IS (formerly ISIS).
“Even the Turkish president’s attempt to defend the terrorist organization and his inciting words will not change the horrors that the whole world has seen,” the official added.
Israel wholeheartedly rejects the Turkish President’s harsh words about the terrorist organization Hamas.
Hamas is a despicable terrorist organization worse than ISIS that brutally and intentionally murders babies, children, women and the elderly, takes civilians hostage and uses… pic.twitter.com/LU4mJGz18v— Lior Haiat 🇮🇱 (@LiorHaiat) October 25, 2023
Speaking in parliament earlier on Wednesday, Erdogan said that Hamas was not a terrorist organization but “a liberation group waging a battle to protect its lands and people.”
The Turkish leader also condemned the continued Israeli bombing campaign against Gaza and canceled his previously planned visit to Israel.
Erdogan described the Israeli attacks on Gaza as an “intentional massacre” and accused Tel Aviv of taking advantage of his nation’s good intentions.
According to local media reports, Türkiye also suspended its energy projects with Israel.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip #Erdogan said on Wednesday that #Hamas is not a terrorist group but rather a liberation movement that defends its homeland. https://t.co/1iuL26bXHS pic.twitter.com/UAzyUXTRWa
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 25, 2023
Ankara’s stance has also provoked angry reactions from pro-Israel US-based Jewish organizations.
William Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, branded the Turkish leader a “charlatan” in a talk with the Jewish Insider, adding that Erdogan “is much more interested in promoting the murder of Jews than he is in being a man of peace who’s interested in engaging in a positive way in the Middle East.”
Abe Foxman, a former longtime national director of the Anti-Defamation League, told the media he was “sad to see the old, hateful Erdogan surface again.”
Foxman, who met the Turkish president last month in New York, also said he talked to him about the then-upcoming visit to Israel “in a tone of deep friendship and celebration.” The Jewish leader then claimed that Erdogan was guided by a “cynical” self-interest.
Israel has, thus far, killed over 7,000 Palestinians in Gaza, including nearly 3,000 children, and wounded over 18,000 more.
A few months ago, Ward al-’Tul turned two years old. Her mother Rawand documented the little girl’s joy on her birthday. Ward was killed today, October 24, along with her mother, her father, and her entire family. pic.twitter.com/RmHjRSl7Rx
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) October 24, 2023
Palestinian Ministry of Health reports and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
Israel says that 1,400 of its citizens were killed in Hamas-led attacks on October 7. Many of those killed are soldiers and officers in the Israeli occupation army.
Gaza has been under a tight Israeli military siege since 2007, following a democratic election in occupied Palestine, the results of which were rejected by Tel Aviv and Washington.
(RT, PC)
